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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Heshvan 5770 - 10/17/09
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Jewish Art
Exhibiting Jewish Art
By Shira Novack
KOC Assistant Editor
Binghamton University
Where else can Jewish art be found in places that we don't expect it?
Jewish Art: A Term or a Topic?
By Mel Rivkin
Binghamton University
What society often has a misunderstanding about is that art is formed everyday. So what is Jewish art?
Jewish Art in Poland
By Miriam Iken
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Art can be found in many different forms: a painting, a sculpture, with color, and in black and white.
Questioning Judaism and Art
By Sarah Quatrano
Washington University, St. Louis
People often look down on graffiti as a form of art, but in reality it is extreme and progressive art like this that keeps our culture in check.
The Question
By Michelle Kaman
KOACH Field Worker
As with art, a significant principle in Judaism is the question.
Campus Update
University of Arizona
By Aaron Jacobs
KOACH Intern
KOACH has already been off to a great start at the University of Arizona. We have already had a number of those famous spiritual and loveable KOACH Shabbatot.
Joke
With so many of you playing the new Beatles: Rock Band for Wii, we got to thinking...
(Read More...)
Views from Jews
I have set My bow in the clouds, and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. (Genesis 9:13)
(Read More...)
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tishrei 5770 - 9/18/09
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It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Will the Ducks Really Eat My Sins?
By Heidi Lumish
Tufts University
Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, against God’s request, yet they were forgiven. With each New Year, we are reminded by this example that our sins can be pardoned.
This Time of Year
By Marc Epstein
University of Rochester
How have I changed from this time last year? Why have I changed? Are those changes for the better? And what do I do now?
Doing More With Less
By Michelle Rubin
Florida State University
While we may be poorer financially, we are no less rich.
High Holidays and Forgiveness
By Shira Novack
KOC Assistant Editor
Binghamton University
With the process of actively asking forgiveness, we are acknowledging publicly that we have committed a sin.
Contradictions
By Richard S. Moline
USCJ Director of Youth and Young Adult Services
We enter this new year with lots of questions and very few answers.
Campus Update
Boston University
By Jill Wolfson
KOACH Intern
It is the beginning of another exciting year at Boston University. We have already had a couple of great shabbatot with almost 70 students in the Conservative minyan on Friday night!
Joke
Tashlikh Redux: More Than Your Average Sin
(Read More...)
Views from Jews
KOACH on Campus ezine is adding a new feature. Each month there will
be a quote from a Jewish source and we will be accepting submissions of
photographs or other visual art forms which interpret the quote. The vision
behind this is to be able to incorporate other forms of expression into the
ezine and enable people to contribute in other ways. We may be the People of the
Book, but we express ourselves with more than words.
(Read More...)
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Elul 5769 - 8/19/09
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Back to School
Transitions
By Jonathan Hack
Clark University
After spending four years trying to help build a Jewish community on campus, it became clear that my life truly revolved around educating others about the unique joys of Judaism and a traditional Jewish lifestyle.
There's No Place like School
By Matt Tepperman
Indiana University
When making a transition from summer to school, no matter where you live, there will always be some, if not a lot, traveling and schlepping things around, so much so that you truly don't know where you belong anymore.
Culture Corner
Summer to Fall and Other Transitions
By Simona Caplan
New York University
Both familiarity and community are needed to make a smooth transition.
A Return to Community
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Editor
New York University
In college, no one's forcing you to observe Shabbat, and coming to services becomes a positive elective activity.
In the Month of Elul
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Associate Director
Whichever way(s) you choose, don't let the month of Elul pass you by. Unpack last year to prepare for the next-and you'll be the richer for it.
Joke
Dial your way to forgiveness...
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Av 5769 - 7/21/09
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Jewish Culture Corner
A Jew in His Movies
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
Allen has moved on to a new part of his career, where he's desperate to reinvent himself because his old shtick just isn't quite working as much anymore, but is he abandoning his roots?
Jews with the Blues: A Cultural Look at our Place in the World of the Blues
By Corey Abramson
Temple University
Bloomfield grew up on Chicago's North Side and chose his bar mitzvah present (a guitar) over his family's catering business.
Limbo
By Sam Shuman
Columbia University / JTS
He's not a prophet (as far as I am aware), a heretic or a Jewish philosopher. He's simply a storyteller.
American Jewish Musicians and the Jewish Tradition
By Simeon Cohen
List College
Thus, just as the ancient Temple priests and the hazzanim of the Gaonic period used music to connect with God in a spiritual sense, so does Mike Gordon of Phish.
TV Jews
In an era of reality TV which feels anything but real, a little dose of relevance is more than welcome.
Joke
Sing Along with the Bible
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Tamuz 5769 - 6/21/09
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Heroism
What Makes a Hero?
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
There are many definitions of the word "hero," and it's impossible to pinpoint any one characteristic to qualify someone as a hero. Selflessness and courage are high at the list of heroic traits and every person will give different qualifications that make up a hero for them.
Being a Hero, Being Jewish, Being Good
By Joel Chorny
George Washington University School of Law
Like Dershowitz, "I have never quite understood why people who firmly believe they are doing God's will are regarded as 'good' even 'heroic.'
Heroes at Home
By Julia Auster
Skidmore College
Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Superman fan and I love Christian Bale, but heroes don't always wear capes. They just do a little good every day that makes a big difference overall.
Culture Corner
Heroism's Quiet Labourers: On Finding a Jewish World in Berlin
By Samuel Kessler Gilbride
New York University
The sun shines equally over all the earth, and people go about their lives, and being born in one place or another is no one's particular fault; all children are innocent.
Heroism Through Tzedakah
By Michelle Kaman
KOACH Field Worker
To be a hero, to me, means to positively have an effect on someone's life.
Joke
Making Mischief
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Sivan 5769 - 5/24/09
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Homosexuality
Lessons from Abraham: Creating Welcoming Communities
By David Schwartz
Washington University in St Louis
Abraham is a role model for us for many reasons, but his best known trait is being welcoming.
Change: It Will Take Time
By Paige LaMarche
Baltimore Hebrew University
As a Conservative Jew, born and bred, I have my opinions, and mine include the absolute inclusiveness of homosexuals in our movement.
A Common Bond
By Jen Kracoff
Syracuse University
If people are happy, they're happy, right? If they are in love, who are we to tell them it's not legitimate?
Judaism and Homosexuality: A Changing Conversation
By Tani Berkowitz
George Washington University
Both in a narrowly Jewish sense and a broader American sense, homosexuality has become increasingly "normalized" to heterosexual audiences.
Counting - and Changing - Our Blessings
By Richard S. Moline
KOACH Director
For those of us who accept Torah as authoritative, but also understand that it continues to be a living, evolving document that may speak differently to every generation (as God spoke differently to different generations in the Torah), simple answers don't come easily.
Joke
Biblical Transportation
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Iyar 5769 - 4/24/09
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Social Justice
Jewish Values Reexamined
By Matt Creighton
Boston University
The ethical code of the Jewish people transcends time and geography.
Ha Lachma Anya
By Sarah Block
Bucknell University
Because we were once slaves, we must help others to free themselves from bondage.
Justice and the Jewish People
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
When Israelis were the victims, no one seemed to be watching. Suddenly, all eyes were on Israel once it started to defend itself.
Culture Corner
Challah for Hunger
By Rachel Hamburg
Pomona College
When passionate, committed people come together, we make an impact and the sense of possibility that I garner from our collective energy is inspiring, invigorating and spiritual.
Ethical Dilemmas
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Associate Director
Was it wrong for me to avoid him? Was it unethical? Could it have been wrong, but not unethical?
Joke
Bright Spark
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Nisan 5769 - 3/25/09
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Jewish Music
Jewish Songs and Non-Jewish Jewish Songs
By Jacob Kieval
Washington University in St. Louis
In our grandparents' generation, American Jewish kids had limited access to Jewish culture through music; most of it was about going back to Israel, or Shlomo Carlebach-like tunes for popular prayers in the siddur.
Unifying Power
By Shoshi Rosenbaum
JTS / Barnard
Harmonies experienced in Jewish music are only possible due to Jewish diversity.
Immersion in Jewish Music
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
It was great to be able to get interested in and excited about something that both captures part of my religious heritage and enables me to appreciate such terrific music.
Culture Corner
Tolerating Rock Music and the Jews
By Jonah Rank
JTS / Columbia University
It's never been challenging to be Christian in the United States, but the ethnocentrism that comes so automatically to people—the assumption that everyone around us would, or should, have our own cultural values—has made Judaism, and other minority religions, hard to practice in a country where most citizens attend a Christian church.
Singing Your Way Through Passover
By Rabbi Shalom Kantor
KOACH-Hillel Rabbi, Binghamton University
Today, music is arguably the most influential and important part of most Jewish ritual, because it allows for people to connect, whether or not they understand the texts, or even agree with them. It is the music that speaks to their souls and hearts.
Joke
The History of Horseradish
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Adar 5769 - 2/23/09
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Minority Groups
Minority Within A Minority
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
It's true that it's difficult to find a practicing Conservative Jew who upholds each and every one of the laws outlined by Conservative Judaism, and it's a certainly a wonder when a whole number of those who uphold most of them gather together in one place.
Shifting Paradigms
By Jennifer Gorden
Northeastern University
I always knew that Jewish people were a minority, but because Jewish people had been such a huge part of my life, it never really hit me until college.
Culture Corner
Explaining Judaism
By Emily Gordon
University of Wisconsin, Madison
It is important that we take the time to help others understand where we come from and what makes us a unique people.
Not So Orthodox
By Jonathan Dress
University of Cincinnati
Both rabbis and students were astounded by the fact that I was brought up at a Conservative Synagogue and that I was raised keeping both Shabbat and Kosher.
Democracy in Action
By Rabbi Ed Romm
Director of Education and Campus Programs Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism in Israel
There is a "Green Leaf" party, not to be confused with the Green Party (ecology), that wants to legalize marijuana and teamed up with the Holocaust Survivors Party to run on the same ticket.
Joke
Minority Status
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Shevat 5769 - 1/25/09
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Jewish Food
And Who Doesn't Love Food...?
By Jillian Zarem
Syracuse University
It is apparent that food plays an integral part in religions and cultures around the world, and that is no different with my family.
Sweet Cookies, Sweet Memories
By Shaina Akrish
University of Florida
...in Jewish circles, mandel bread reigns supreme.
Food Brings Us Together
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
It's hard to pinpoint or pick out any one specific dish or holiday time that truly captures the spirit of Jewish food.
The Smell of Friday Afternoon
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Associate Director
It's not a competition. It's about liminality, about hanging in the balance, about your heart being big enough to love more than one.
Culture Corner
Jewish Food and Connections
By Maddy Yasner
University of Pennsylvania
With each new destination came the usual search for kosher food, and with Jews, food means company.
Joke
Green Eggs and Matzoh Ball Soup
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tevet 5769 - 12/27/08
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Sustainable Development
Recycling for a Greater Good
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
On TV, NBC takes an entire week to change their logo to a shade of green and inserts unsubtle references to carpooling or living better at every opportunity. The number of documentaries pushing for green living has also increased, with Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, Leonardo DiCaprio's The 11th Hour, Who Killed the Electric Car and others. There's a uniform message being put forward in all these films, stressing the real difference one single person can truly make.
International Development
By Nehama Rogozen
University of Maryland
The work we did was difficult and could be extremely mind-numbing. I had never imagined that I would spend entire days of my summer simply kneeling, pushing sand into a bucket, sifting it through a strainer and doing it over and over and over again, until my back ached and my muscles were sore. Sometimes, I wondered why I hadn't stayed in America for the summer, where I could have watched TV and slept away half of my days.
Going Green—A Phenomenon for Our People
By Juliana Ross
Simmons College
I believe on an individual level we can make changes in our everyday lives to heal mother Earth. We must remember that Earth is the place where we continue to survive and thrive; it is not a renewable resource. While it is likely the Earth will persist despite the daily damage, the human race cannot survive as global warming continues, the oceans rise with the melting ice caps, and desertification spreads as the imbalance in temperature persists.
Culture Corner
Shabbat and Nature
By Elyse Horowitz
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Maybe God had it right all along. That seventh day of rest — without television, driving, spending money on material possessions — maybe that is what the world needs in order to maintain its "green" environment.
Israel Going Green
By Rabbi Elyse Winick / Nomi Freedman
KOACH Associate Director / Shlihah to the Conservative Movement
Learn about a kibbutz that's going off the grid...a Hanukkah gift from your KOACH staff. Let there be light!
Joke
Putting your talents to the best possible use.
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Kislev 5769 - 11/27/08
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Politics
Encounters with Politics
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
Jews in politics are an interesting phenomenon, because it suddenly becomes a big issue when they opt to run for high office.
Why Do Jews Vote?
By Rebecca Gillette
Harvard University
The idea that we should follow the laws of the land in which we live is crucial to our ability to live a Jewish life in a secular world.
Jews, Rhetoric, and Elections
By Avi Smolen
Rutgers University
We need to get past the absolutist rhetoric of ?pro? or ?anti,? black or white, and talk about real issues facing Israel.
Culture Corner
Breaking Barriers
By Michael Fox
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Why couldn?t a Jew be President now?
Joke
Jewish Culinary Predilections
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Heshvan 5769 - 10/28-30/08
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Jewish Education
Jewish Community
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
It?s not that learning Torah or studying laws didn?t interest me; it?s rather that my enthusiastic engagement often existed elsewhere.
Being Jewish
By Eve Rickles-Young
Binghamton University
The more you know, the more you understand and hopefully the less willing you are to hate.
Confidence
By Yael Werber
Boston University
How did I go from being someone who was completely ignored to being someone who loves and craves being in front of everyone?
Culture Corner
Marvelous Hevruta
By Gabe Seed
JTS / Columbia University
Studying texts, especially with the insights of a chevruta, has enhanced both my understanding of Midrash and the meaning of the biblical texts when they are read.
Soulfood
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Associate Director
Naomi and I do not obsess about the things we can?t figure out. We don?t clock how much time we spend on asking about each other?s kids vs. how many pages of text we cover. When we finish a book, we celebrate.
Joke
Putting It In Your Heart
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Tishrei 5769 - 9/29-30/08
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Jewish Art
Am I a Jewish Artist?
By Abe Fried-Tanzer
KOC Assistant Editor
New York University
Wherever you look, it's startlingly easy to find Jewish characters and Jewish themes in movies and on TV.
The Art of Sound
By Lara Torgovnik
New York University
The magnificence of Jewish music does not remain solely within the confines of a sanctuary, and I have personally had the honor of experiencing it in many ways throughout my time at NYU
I'll Never be an Artist
By Jeffrey Jablansky
New York University
Before the moment that almost launched me headfirst into the world of art appreciation, I had never imagined myself connecting with my "inner artist" on any intellectual level.
Culture Corner
The Universal Language
By Nichole Hellman
University of Arizona '08
Perhaps through this diverse view of music as a "universal language" in public schools, we can teach the next generation to accept the cultures and beliefs of others, while continuing to appreciate their own.
A Letter From Nomi
By Naomi Freedman
Shlihah to the Conservative Movement
KOACH welcomes Naomi Freedman, the new shlihah to the Conservative Movement. Nomi is available for consultation on aliyah, study in Israel and Israel travel. She's also an excellent resource for campus programs (either to offer suggestions or come for a visit). Click here for a full bio.
Joke
If computers were Jewish...
(Read More...)
<-- E-ZINE END -->
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Elul 5768 - 8/31/08
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Back to School
A New and Different Year
By Alisha Deluty
KOC Editor
JTS/ Columbia University
I cannot believe that I see the desert from campus and can actually be standing in the middle of the desert after a twenty to thirty minute drive.
(Not Exactly) Back to School
By Adam Schwartz
University of Tennessee
My back to school experience is very different than what it would be like if I was going to school in the states, but it is an experience that is sure to make me grow.
My heart always will be in the east, though I live in the west...
By Jill Wolfson
Boston University
Being back in America, things still seem different, that before seemed so normal.
Culture Corner
Le'taken Olam B'malkhut Shaddai
By Penina Case
Binghamton University
As the new school and Jewish years approach, I believe it is an incredibly important goal to share hope in lieu of success and give love when there is pain.
Back to School
By Richard S. Moline
KOACH Director
As summer wanes and our minds reluctantly drift back to school and work, we are again confronted with that cyclical reality that manages to invade our personal space this time of year. Before we know it, the days will get shorter, we'll be spending more time with our books than our Frisbees and summer will become yet another memory.
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Av 5768 - 8/1/08
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"Oh, The Places You'll Go!"
You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!
By Alisha Deluty
KOC Editor
JTS/ Columbia University
As I prepare to spend next semester at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, I am anxious and excited as I embark on this journey that will no doubt be very different from my life in New York City at Columbia and the Jewish Theological Seminary. I am looking forward to not only exploring the Be'er Sheva area and its surroundings, but also to speaking Hebrew with my Israeli suitemates as well as Arabic with the local Bedouin people.
Thoughts From My Balcony
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Associate Director
The temperature is high, the water level in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) is low, there is saber-rattling all around. And yet, there's no where I'd rather be at this moment than watching the sun rise over Jerusalem.
Jezreel Valley—Avocados and the Shmitah
By Sam Kessler Gilbride
New York University
Originally Posted Tishrei 5768
This is it, I say to myself, quietly and under my breath. This is what the Torah is talking about. Here, in practice, is the true essence of environmentalism—the practice that gets past all the hype, past all the unsigned treaties and international scandals, past all the lobbying and lies, past all the television specials and Hollywood movies and doomsday novels. These two men, I thought, are doing what Jewish men have done in the land of Israel for three thousand years.
Israeli Army—Our Counterparts in the IDF
By Alisha Deluty / Ari Fellman
JTS / Columbia University
Originally Posted Heshvan 5768
KOC KOC Editor Alisha Deluty explores a day in the life of IDF officer Ari Fellman.
Akko—Just the Beginning
By Eric Goldberg
New York University
Originally Posted Nisan 5768
The paint is dry. The furniture is in place. Four bomb shelters in Akko, Israel, have been transformed from small, dark spaces into warm, inviting community areas. And a group of 20 NYU students and a community thousands of miles away have been connected and inspired by each other.
Joke
3 guys and an Israeli...
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Tamuz 5768 - 7/2/08
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Travel Time
Wherever You Go
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia
In honor of summer vacation, we?re featuring top travel articles from this year?s CULTURE CORNER series.
A Wandering Jew
By Sherri Vishner
KOACH Associate
University of Florida, Gainsville
By the time this article is posted, I will be in the midst of not having a ?home? for a month. After two years in Gainesville, Florida working as the KOACH Associate at The University of Florida, I will be moving to Baltimore in August. In between I?ll be spending a month traveling to see friends and family I?ve not seen in a while.
Spain
At Home in Sefarad
By Julie Deluty
Jewish Theological Seminary
Originally Posted Kislev 5768
Julie Deluty, of the Jewish Theological Seminary, relives her Spanish adventure.
New Orleans
Jewish-Muslim Alternative Spring Break
By Lindsay Katona
Originally Posted Tevet 5768
Never could I have possibly imagined a trip that would end with Jews and Muslims sharing their meals in the kosher cafeteria. Or with Muslims asking me if I am coming to Shabbat dinner on Friday night. Or with Jewish students sitting around a bonfire shouting "Takbir," an exclamation Muslims use to proclaim the greatness of Allah.
Japan
My Blanky
By Robin Broder
JTS / Columbia University
Originally Posted Adar I 5768
There is one major Jewish Community Center in Tokyo and a Chabad. I did not think I would get many chances to participate in a service, yet I still felt compelled to bring my siddur with me. I am not sure why, considering I rarely even use it in the States. I suppose it was like the blanky that was inevitably carried around everywhere during childhood, the one that makes you feel safe and at home.
Nicaragua
Purim in Nicaragua
By Jessica Fisher, Columbia University / JTS
and Ilana Krakowski, Barnard College / JTS
Originally Posted Sivan 5768
It was a happy coincidence that the week of our spring break coincided with Purim. Before our departure, we planned for someone to bring a megillah, plastic masks, and graggers. As the people of the community celebrated Semana Santa, Holy Week, in preparation for Easter, we were able to have conversations with them comparing our holidays
Joke
Bee Season
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Sivan 5768 - 6/3/08
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Marriage
Free to Be ... You & Me
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia
At shul a few weeks ago, our congregation celebrated a baby naming and a Bat
Mitzvah. In both cases, my rabbi blessed the girls with long lives that lead
them to the huppah. But why not pray for long lives that lead to
happiness? Why is marriage still considered to be the ultimate marker of a
successful and meaningful Jewish life?
A KOACH Love Story
By Shiri Bernstein
San Diego State University
Now, I could tell you how my fiancee and I met at a KOACH program, went
on Taglit Birthright Israel with KOACH, are getting married by KOACH's
very own Rabbi Elyse Winick and lived happily ever after, but what fun would
that be? So, instead I'd like to tell you a different kind of love story.
A story that took a lot of KOACH, or rather, strength.
The Jewish Wedding
By Rabbi Shalom Kantor
KOACH/Hillel Rabbi
Binghamton University
Jewish weddings are probably the most exciting and special events in all of our traditions. The dawning wedding day can be the happiest and holiest day of one's life.
Culture Corner
Purim in Nicaragua
By Jessica Fisher, Columbia University / JTS
and Ilana Krakowski, Barnard College / JTS
It was a happy coincidence that the week of our spring break coincided with Purim. Before our departure, we planned for someone to bring a megillah, plastic masks, and graggers. As the people of the community celebrated Semana Santa, Holy Week, in preparation for Easter, we were able to have conversations with them comparing our holidays
Campus Update
UCLA
By Rachel Schlossberg
KOACH Intern
Check out what's been happening at UCLA!
Joke
The perils of marrying a non-Jew
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Iyar 5768 - 5/4/08
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Zionism in America
Yom Huledet Sameah!
By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University
Every year for as long as I can remember, I have attended the Israel Day Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Whether it was a rainy or sunny day, I excitedly stood across from Central Park and waved to friends, family and strangers from schools, synagogues, camps and other organizations as they marched down the street.
Tangible Links
By Yael Langer
Smith College
When my best friend from college came to visit for spring break, our first stop was Carmel, the local Middle Eastern food store. We ignored the lure of a sunny day in Central Park or a walk along Broadway in favor of a quick cultural trip I had been excited about for a few weeks.
Beyond the Pita, Beyond the Hummus
By Bara Levitt
JTS / Columbia University
I am a Zionist! I am also, among other things, a woman, an American, a member of the Jewish people and a student. My identity and obligations are complicated, layered and often interconnected.
Seeing Israel through Someone Else's Eyes
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Associate Director
It's remarkable how many things imprint themselves upon your soul forever. To this day, my heart aches a little when I think about whether or not I'm a Zionist. If I'm living here, can I really earn that appellation?
Culture Corner
Token Jew
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri
By the end of high school, I was fed up with the overwhelming role Judaism and the tight-knit community played in my life. Everyone knew or was related to everyone else, and my world felt quite small. Through my own rebellion, I turned down acceptances to Brandeis and Wash. U. and instead chose Mizzou, with the great journalism school and the tiny Hillel.
Campus Update
Rutgers University / Syracuse University
By Ariella Gutin / Jillian Zarem
KOACH Interns
Check out what's been happening at Rutgers University and Syracuse University!
Joke
Meat Shortage...a morality tale for anyone who's ever waited in line for falafel in Tel Aviv.
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Nisan 5768 - 4/6/08
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Kashrut
How do we explain it?
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri
When we try to explain those rules to non-Jews, we come off sounding more than slightly archaic (?God only wants us to eat animals that chew their cud and have cloven hooves.? ?God doesn't want us to boil a kid in its mother's milk.? ?It's not humane to eat an animal with properly draining its blood.?) So how do modern-day Jews justify the laws that separate Treif from Kosher?
Why do we do it?
By Nichole Hellman
University of Arizona
Double-decker bacon cheeseburgers, pepperoni pizzas with extra cheese, sausage patty egg McMuffins ? Aside from the incredible fat content of these greasy delights, why do we deprive ourselves of such manmade luxuries?
Keeping Kosher
By Mark Greenberg
KOACH Field Worker
I told my non-Jewish friends we were going on a scavenger hunt and I was going to show them that keeping Kosher wasn't that hard. We started out at the traditionally very small section in the ?ethnic? food aisle. We made up rules and I showed them what to look for.
Culture Corner
Just the Beginning
By Eric Goldberg
New York University
The paint is dry. The furniture is in place. Four bomb shelters in Akko, Israel, have been transformed from small, dark spaces into warm, inviting community areas. And a group of 20 NYU students and a community thousands of miles away have been connected and inspired by each other.
Campus Update
Ohio State University / University of Florida
By David Kaplan / Shaina Akrish
KOACH Interns
Check out what's been happening at Ohio State University and the University of Florida!
Joke
Making it Kosher
(Read More...)
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Adar II 5768 - 3/7-8/08
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Jewish Food
From Kn?el to the Hillel Sandwich
By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University
So much of Jewish culture and practices revolve around different types of
food. Each holiday has a set of special dietary customs, whether it is to eat
hallah on Shabbat, apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah,
or hamantashen on Purim, or not to eat anything at all on Yom
Kippur and eat only unleavened foods on Passover.
Mommy's Boy Learns to Cook
By Joel Chorny
George Washington University
This article is not about how my mother and grandmother make the best food in the world, but rather this article is about a sad realization we all have to make at some point and that I have come to accept after just one semester of living away from my parents: Our mothers and grandmothers are not always going to be around to make our favorite dishes for us.
Back to My Roots
By Rachel Rubin
University of Missouri-Columbia
Where I come from, the hot dog is Big. Bigger than the Italian beef sandwich and the deep-dish pizza combined. Made just right with mustard, onion and relish and just a dash of celery salt. No one would dare defy tradition by using ketchup.
Jewish Food
By Rabbi Ed Romm
Director of Education and Campus Programs, Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism in Israel
There is an expression which says "you are what you eat". When it comes to the Jewish people, the expression is right on target.
Culture Corner
Therefore, I Sing
By Lara Torgovnik
New York University
Some find compromise to be the affliction of an assimilating Jew. However, I believe that compromise is the way to keep Jews from vanishing. One shouldn't have to choose.
Campus Update
New York University / University of Illinois
By Abe Fried-Tanzer / Cheryl Krugel
KOACH Interns
Check out what's been happening at New York University and the University of Illinois!
Joke
Culinary Cunning
(Read More...)
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Adar I 5768 - 2/6-7/08
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Shabbat Shalom!
What do you like about Shabbat?
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia
I think that variety of responses is actually what I like most about Shabbat. I like that it can provide different people with different types of comfort, whether it's the community or the traditions. I like that Shabbat can be meaningful to different people in different ways.
New Community
By Adam Schwartz
University of Tennessee
Every Friday, as the afternoon turned into evening, my father would take my siblings and me to the window, and we would watch the sunset. This was our special Shabbat time and I treasured it. It took several years for me to realize that sunsets happened on nights other than Shabbat Eve.
New Traditions
By Stephenie Carlson
University of Missouri-Columbia
I wasn't raised in a Jewish household. I don't have childhood memories of candles being lit on Friday night, of kiddush being chanted over wine and I had my first bite of challah a little over a year ago. Only in March of 2007 did Shabbat begin to mean something to me and play a role in my life.
Shabbat in Israel - For Everyone?
By Itamar Kremer
Shaliah to the Conservative Movement
Chulent, shul, kiddush?
Try trips, humus and vodka red bull...
Culture Corner
My Blanky
By Robin Broder
JTS / Columbia University
There is one major Jewish Community Center in Tokyo and a Chabad. I did not think I would get many chances to participate in a service, yet I still felt compelled to bring my siddur with me. I am not sure why, considering I rarely even use it in the States. I suppose it was like the blanky that was inevitably carried around everywhere during childhood, the one that makes you feel safe and at home.
Campus Update
University of Maryland / Michigan State University
By David Goldstein / Ilana Ostro
KOACH Interns
Check out what's been happening at the University of Maryland and Michigan State University!
Joke
Shlepping on Shabbos....
(Read More...)
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Shevat 5768 - 1/8/08
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Going Green
Why Us?
By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University
Having lived in New York City for my entire life, I have always been somewhat immune to the masses of garbage and pollution that exist. Just looking outside my window here on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, I see the large black garbage bags that line the streets. This, as well as the polluted air, which I have become used to breathing, harms the environment. But why should we as Jewish college students, be so concerned with the protection of the earth?
What Can We Do?
By Adam Shery
Middlesex County College
The Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world, is at the forefront of topics discussed among Jews today. While there are many prominent ethical problems in need of "repairing," I feel that the most literal meaning of Tikkun Olam is the healing, or more accurately, the saving of humanity itself, by way of the environment.
Who Can Help Me?
COEJL, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life offers support and resources.
Our End of the Deal
By Richard S. Moline
KOACH Director
The heavens belong to Adonai; the earth God has entrusted to human
beings, says Psalm 115. What role, then, do we play in caring for
the earth? If environmental protection is a universal issue, what
makes it particularly Jewish? KOACH Director Rich Moline examines
the intersection between God and humanity and the role it plays in
protecting our planet.
Campus Update
Harvard University
By Rebecca Gillette
KOACH Intern
Check out what's been happening at Harvard University!
Joke
Jewish Dictionary
(Read More...)
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tevet 5768 - 12/10/07
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Gender in Judaism
Here and Now
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia
During the course of my childhood, my synagogue had a female rabbi, in
addition to female presidents, female teachers and female torah readers. It all
seemed so common. It didn't even occur to me that women were previously
restricted from such roles.
We've Come So Far
By Emily Wasserman
Washington University
When I was a little girl, I was exposed to a movie that would eventually become one of my favorite films of all-time. As I watched "Fiddler on the Roof," it was as if I was seeing my ancestors live, congregate and eventually persevere through the noxious pogroms. Also, Tevye's rendition of "Tradition" proved simultaneously hilarious and unforgettable.
We've Got So Far to Go
By Abby Seeskin
Macalester College
It's hard from here to determine what exactly we, as college students, can do to make Conservative Judaism a more gender equal religion. We can't rewrite the Torah or the rabbinic teachings, nor can we magically produce female scholars from the past who never existed. In fact, it's pretty hard for me to conceive ways of undoing centuries of gender inequality. But we can take steps, albeit baby steps, in the progressive direction.
When a Kippah is not just a Kippah
By Sherri Vishner
KOACH Associate
When someone is trying to point me out in a crowd, or giving someone else a description of me, one of the first things they say is, "she's the one in the kippah".
Culture Corner
Jewish-Muslim Alternative Spring Break
By Lindsay Katona
Never could I have possibly imagined a trip that would end with Jews and Muslims sharing their meals in the kosher cafeteria. Or with Muslims asking me if I am coming to Shabbat dinner on Friday night. Or with Jewish students sitting around a bonfire shouting "Takbir," an exclamation Muslims use to proclaim the greatness of Allah.
Campus Update
McGill University
By Daniel Hochbaum
KOACH Intern
Check out what's been happening at McGill University!
Joke
How to figure out who is sitting next to you on that transatlantic flight....
(Read More...)
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Kislev 5768 - 11/11/07
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Jewish Jams
Behind the Music
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia
I can?t hear Salaam without thinking of USY. Shir Al Ahava immediately conjures up memories of camp. Havdalah brings me to tears, as it clearly reminds me of my trip to Israel and Hallel always makes me reminisce of my days at Schechter. Even more modern/non-prayer music brings me back to a different time and place.
Virtual Jewish Music
By Eva Heinstein
Hebrew University
For those who can't take a long walk through the streets of Jerusalem, a short walk to the nearest computer will suffice. Two exciting projects are being developed online, here in Jerusalem, that aim to provide resources for those interested in exploring the diverse genres and styles of Jewish music.
Confessions of a Song Leader
By Shira Berkowitz
University of Missouri-Columbia
I remember some of my first Shabbatot in preschool singing about things we like about Shabbat, then in later years standing with my arms around friends at summer camp or lying on the floor singing at the top of our lungs, which progressed into jumping around the room in circles of friends singing nigunim (wordless melodies) at USY conventions, followed by hours of sitting at the Shabbat table in my college years singing every song we can think of.
Music in Jewish Tradition
By Rabbi Shalom Kantor
KOACH/Hillel Rabbi
Binghamton University
I love Jewish music! I don?t care if it is Hassidic niggunim or Klezmer, Debbie Friedman, traditional Sephardic music, or some of the newer genres that you might find being produced by J-Dub records?Jewish music is something that just speaks to my soul.
Culture Corner
At Home in Sefarad
By Julie Deluty
Jewish Theological Seminary
Julie Deluty, of the Jewish Theological Seminary, relives her Spanish adventure.
Campus Update
George Washington University
By Aviva Berman
KOACH Intern
Check out what's been happening at the George Washington University!
Joke
Would-Be Jewish Country Songs!
(Read More...)
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Heshvan 5768 - 10/12/07
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Jewish Greeks
Going Greek on Campus
By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University
Cultural fraternities and sororities developed due to discrimination that existed in Greek life. Existing fraternities and sororities prohibited certain cultures and races from joining. A few multicultural fraternities and sororities were established to foster diversity.
Jewish Fraternity
By Joshua Borenstein
New York University
Is a membership of all Jews enough to qualify us as a "Jewish" fraternity? None of us believed it was. We agreed that if we did not work hard to incorporate Jewish values into the identity of our chapter, then we would be no different from any other fraternity on campus.
Secular Fraternity
By Steve Silver
Northwestern University
Some might call it blasphemy, but yes, I?m a Jew in a non-Jewish frat at Northwestern University ? Beta Theta Pi to be exact. And the question I always hear the most is, "Why?"
Greek Life and Jewish Life...Having Both
By Michelle Samuels
KOACH Midwest Field Worker
Jewish Greek Seder was held at one of the Jewish fraternities and we had over 150 Jewish Greeks in attendance from both Jewish and Non-Jewish Greek Houses. By my senior year, the seder had grown to over 250 students.?
Culture Corner
Our Counterparts in the IDF
By Alisha Deluty / Ari Fellman
JTS / Columbia University
KOC Assistant Editor Alisha Deluty explores a day in the life of IDF officer Ari Fellman.
Campus Update
University of Arizona
By Jennifer Jalowiec
KOACH Intern
Check out what's been happening at the University of Arizona!
Joke
The Playoffs
(Read More...)
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tishrei 5768 - 9/12/07
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Jewish Ethics
Aligning Your Moral Compass
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia
I find religion fascinating. I always have. It offers people everything from community and a sense of belonging to tradition and a sense of history. But the fact that religion also provides the basic foundation for ethical discussion is icing on the cake.
Avocados and the Shmitah
By Sam Kessler Gilbride
New York University
This is it, I say to myself, quietly and under my breath. This is what the Torah is talking about. Here, in practice, is the true essence of environmentalism—the practice that gets past all the hype, past all the unsigned treaties and international scandals, past all the lobbying and lies, past all the television specials and Hollywood movies and doomsday novels. These two men, I thought, are doing what Jewish men have done in the land of Israel for three thousand years.
Righteous Gentiles
By Rachel Weisel
University of Pennsylvania
Of all the facts, figures and photographs in the museum, their stories left the biggest impression on me. Maybe this was because hearing about the Righteous Gentiles made look me look inside myself and ask some painfully difficult questions: What would I do in their situation? Would I willingly put my own life and the lives of my family members in jeopardy to save somebody else?
On the Eve of a New Year...
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Associate Director
The holidays come early this year. I know that?s not true, since Rosh HaShanah is always at the beginning of Tishrei, but I look outside and the trees are still green and it feels early. I stop for breath and look into my soul and I think, no, not yet, too soon.
Culture Corner
Contemporary Music in Contemporary Hebrew for Contemporary Jews
By Jonah Rank
JTS / Columbia University
Today, many of us pronounce Hebrew more like Israelis than like 18th Century German Jews, and many of us agree that we want to know what we sing about in shul—regardless of our level of Hebrew-understanding. In spite of this changed frame-of-mind, many of us still pray with tunes that, though we may not realize it, might no longer jive with a modern Jew's attitude towards Hebrew prayer.
Joke
Alphabet Soup
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Elul 5767 - 8/14/07
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Back to School
New Year, Fresh Start
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia
Once you get past the end of high school, where all anyone cares about is the name of the college you've chosen, you start to think about what the next few years are actually going to look like. You start to wonder about your academic and personal life and how they will differ from what you've experienced thus far.
Finding Your Place on Campus
By David Schwartz
Washington University
When you walk onto campus to begin the school year, you are walking into a very fluid social scene (more solid if you are returning, but still not "set in stone"). You may have to force yourself to not be shy, but the reward is worth it.
Jewish Ties, Easy Transition
By Matt Kleiman
University of Wisconsin- Madison
No need to state the obvious, but here it goes: the transition to college is a huge change. How will I like my roommate? Will classes be hard? How am I going to make all new friends? And, of course, the question that might not be lurking in your head, but should be: "How will I find my way Jewishly on campus?"
Welcome Alisha Deluty! KOC's New Assistant Editor
By Alisha Deluty
KOC Assistant Editor
JTS / Columbia University
My "To Do" List
By Richard S. Moline
KOACH Director
This is the time of year many of us face with some trepidation. Those long summer days are getting shorter. The summer routine (or lack thereof) gives way to a different kind of structure. A certain fear of the unknown seems to slowly creep upon us.
Joke
Meeting the Parents
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tamuz 5767 - 6/15-17/07
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Jewish in America
Is "American-Zionist" a contradictory identity?
By Josh Tobias
KOC Assistant Editor
Brown University
When I was in elementary school, the question that was all the rage on the playgrounds of the Solomon Schechter Day School was which side we would fight for in a hypothetical Israeli-American war.
Seinfeld, JDate and Chinese food: New definitions of American Judaism
By Lia Lehrer
Northwestern University
As an American Jew, I participate in many ancient rituals relating to the holidays. We have sedarim on Passover, we eat latkes on Hanukkah and, most importantly, we eat Chinese food on Christmas.
Jewish Americans or American Jews?
By Alana Chill
Cornell University
Cornell University has two Hillel logos, used for different types of events. One logo is said to give off the impression that "we are students at Cornell University who are Jewish," while the other is said to promote the image that "we are Jews who are a part of the Cornell University community."
Jewish in America
By Rabbi Ed Romm
Director, Center On Campus
Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism, Jerusalem
When I was asked to write on being "Jewish In America," I was at first surprised. I have been living in Israel for close to 30 years. I direct a program for "overseas" students who study in Israel. Also, I have not spent more than two weeks at a time in America since making aliyah.
Joke
Red, White and Blue Star of David: American-Jewish Humor
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Sivan 5767 - 5/18/07
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Jewish Pluralism
"They're Jewish Too"
By Alyssa Appelman
KOC Editor
University of Missouri, Columbia
At least for me, Judaism has always had a sort of a narrow connotation. It's not that I don't know a lot of Jewish people; I just don't really feel that I've been exposed to that much diversity within the community.
Accepting Multiple Identities
By Avi Smolen
KOACH Intern
Rutgers University
While it's great to know who you are and to hold strong beliefs, the question arises as to how you deal with people whose opinions and beliefs differ from yours. This is where pluralism comes in.
Finding Judaism Abroad
By Tanya Weitkamp
Missouri State University
Yeah, it's been said a thousand times before. I'm a Jew, you are a Jew; we are all Jews. But I didn't really get it until I started traveling abroad.
Judaism is Made for Pluralism
By Mark Greenberg
KOACH Field Worker
Washington D.C.
There is a midrash that I love. The story goes that in the World to Come, Rabbi Akiva is teaching in his House of Study. God places Moses in the back row and he doesn't recognize anything Rabbi Akiva is teaching.
Sivan D'var Torah
By Rabbi Aaron Alexander
Assistant Dean
Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
American Jewish University
Sefer Vayikra mapped out for us a complicated and detailed blueprint for encountering God, praising God, and apologizing to God -- the sacrificial system. The first verse of Bamidbar counters by claiming that experiencing God can actually be quite simple. One need not wear extravagant priestly garments; one need only a wilderness and a Tent of Meeting.
Joke
Receiving the Ten Commandments
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Iyyar 5767 - 4/19/07
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"Jews in Showbiz"
Acting, Czechoslovakia, and the Power of Living with Kavvanah
By Josh Tobias
Brown University
KOC Assistant Editor
Despite the strength of their acting skills, or the quality of the makeup job, the actor can never be the character that they are playing. An actor is always expressing a lie, conveying information that is not true.
Put on Your Yarmulke...
By Sarah Goldfarb
Penn State
Although it may not be the most politically correct song, no one can resist singing along to Adam Sandler's "Hanukkah Song." Ever wondered whether Sandler?s song is factually correct? I dug up the truth on the Jewish roots of the stars mentioned in his festive song.
Jews in the Spotlight
By Becky Adelberg
KOACH Midwest Field Worker
There is an excitement in our culture with being connected to a celebrity, either through relatives, having interacted with someone famous (even if he/she was just an extra on a PBS special) or the rare chance of a celebrity spotting.
Iyyar D'var Torah
By Rabbi Charles Savenor
Associate Dean, JTS Rabbinical School
Parashat Emor and the need to open our hearts and doors to those left outside.
Campus Update
By Justine Slovin
KOACH Intern
University of Arizona
Check out this update from our intern at the University of Arizona!
Joke
A Jewish dog in shul?
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Nisan 5767 - 3/20/07
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"Social Responsibility"
"Le Silence est l'Ignorance"
By Alyssa Appelman
University of Missouri ? Columbia
KOC Editor
My first experience with student activism in Paris was a conference on the situation in Darfur, which was co-sponsored by the UEJF, the Union des Etudiants Juifs de France. Apparently, my years of French classes in the States have still left me with much to learn, as comprehension of the language spoken in an academic setting at a fairly rapid speed is still beyond me.
Development, Thailand and Tikkun Olam
By Max Chaiken
Brown University
He works primarily as an AIDS educator. He goes to local communities and teaches children in schools what AIDS is and how they can prevent it. When I asked him why his wife doesn't value that work, he either didn't know or didn't understand what I was asking him. Our conversations were always brief and punctuated by laughter, smiles and the occasional cigarette. Yet somehow, even without a common language or a common experience we shared a connection.
Eco-kashrut? A New Way of Eating Jewishly
By Melissa Crawley
University of Missouri
Keeping eco-kosher has been a way for me to increase the sacred connection between my food purchases and my eating habits. Every time I go to the grocery store, I think not just of whether my food choices fall within the parameters of traditional kashrut, but also in term of how my food choices connect me to my community.
Abraham Joshua Heschel: Changing the World One Word at a Time
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Assistant Director
My fascination with Heschel's life and work began on the very first Shabbat of my college experience. After lunch, I took a full stack of reading outside, to try to make some headway in the unbelievable amount of work I had. Assaying the books, I did what any student in their right mind would have done ? picked the shortest one. This way, I rationalized, I'd feel a sense of accomplishment and motivation to plow through the rest of the stack.
Nisan D'var Torah
By Rabbi Amy Eilberg
Yedidya Center for Spiritual Direction
The story of Yetzi'at Mitzrayim (the exodus from Egypt) must provide the answer for how we as a people are to respond to what ails our world, for it is our central story as a people, defining our collective identity, our values and our commitments. The message of this narrative could not be more clear: we are a people which knows the soul of the stranger, the marginalized and the persecuted. We must instinctively work for justice for the afflicted ? be they individuals, communities, nations, or the earth herself.
Campus Update
By Ashley Isenberg
KOACH Intern
York University
So three rabbis walk into a bar....ouch! ...Ha ha, no, this isn't the beginning of a joke, "3 Rabbis Walk into a Bar" is the name of a city-wide Jewish interdenominational dialogue series supported by Hillel, KOACH, Kesher, and Yavneh-Olami. Just as its title suggests, students gathered at a bar with Hillel's Reform and Orthodox rabbis and our special guest Conservative Rabbi David Eligberg from Beit Rayim Synagogue.
Passover Jokes
These jokes should help the matzah go down more easily!
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Adar 5767 - 2/18-19/07
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"Jews and Booze"
Drink like the Czechs
By Josh Tobias
Brown University
KOC Assistant Editor
It's interesting that I'm writing an article about "Jews and Booze" from the Czech Republic, a
country so enamored with alcohol that it once had a political party exclusively devoted to beer.
You cannot walk more than twenty feet here without encountering some place selling alcohol.
Thoughts from the Director
By Richard S. Moline
KOACH Director
I'd simply like to share some random thoughts with you this month. Since I don't have a blog, this
is my outlet ? at least for this issue of KOACH-ON-CAMPUS. I stress
that these are my personal observations and do not necessarily represent the views of KOACH
or USCJ.
Adar D'var Torah
By Rabbi Paul Drazen
Director of Congregational Services
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Why does the Torah use both "remember" and "not forget?" Is not remembering the same as not
forgetting? To complicate matters a bit, in addition to remembering and not forgetting, we are
also told to "blot out the memory."
The Golden Compass
By Hannah Ehrlich
KOC Book Review
Part of what makes young adult novels so special is that children have more active imaginations
and, as a result, writers are free to take many more liberties and chances than they can with
adult novels.
Campus Update
By Emilie Botbol
KOACH Intern
University of Illinois KOACH update!
Joke
So what did I miss?
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Shevat 5767 - 1/20/07
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"Jewish Pride"
The Roles We Play
By Alyssa Appelman
University of Missouri ? Columbia
KOC Editor
It would seem that during those times when I was surrounded by Jews, it would have been pretty
easy to feel comfortable with my own identity. And it would seem that during those times when I
was in the minority, I would have been less secure.
Sources of Jewish Pride
By Mindy Lipson
Brandeis University
Though it is not the role of the public school to impart any sort of religious pride
into students, I believe that by displaying holiday objects partial to one religion,
a school can affect the religious feelings of a student who is of a minority faith.
At Home in Israel
By Rabbi Ed Romm
Director, Center on Campus Program in Israel
For me Jewish pride is Israeli through and through. I do not take Israel for granted. After
2000 years of not having our own country, I am proud to carry an Israeli passport.
Shevat D'var Torah
By Rabbi Paul Resnick
Camp Ramah in the Berkshires
Yet another new year!
Campus Update
By Samantha Dresser
KOACH Intern
Michigan State University KOACH update!
Joke
Isn't it ironic?
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tevet 5767 - 12/21-22/06
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"Sacrifice"
Hanukkah and Optimistic Sacrifice
By Josh Tobias
Brown University
KOC Assistant Editor
Hanukkah seems like the cynic’s answer to the gooey sentimentality of
the Christmas season. Sure we will embrace the universal humanity of mankind, it
says, once you stop trying to destroy us and let us practice our religion.
Happy Medium
By Gregory Adelberg
University of Kansas
Finding that middle ground, or as I like to refer to it as that "happy
medium," is the key to life. It not only allows one to lead a successful life,
but also a truthful one filled with health, love, openness and the ability to
experience and grow.
Drawing Near
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Assistant Director
"Sacrifice...the word almost makes us shudder. Ancient, faceless
functionaries offering up something helpless to a God who does
not need it and cannot want it..."
Campus Updates
By Ariella Zbar and Max Horovitz
KOACH Interns
Check in with KOACH at McGill University in Montreal and the
University of Florida in Gainesville
Joke
What did you get for Hanukkah?
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Kislev 5767 - 11/21-22/06
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"Assimilation"
How
Do You Decide?
By Alyssa Appelman
University of Missouri – Columbia
KOC Editor
We?ve heard the term thrown around for years, but for some
reason it?s still sort of a taboo topic among Jews and
especially, in my opinion, among younger Jews. And I think
that?s because of fear.
The
Upside of Assimilation
By Mark Greenberg
KOACH Field Worker
Washington, DC
Judaism and assimilation have a very long, intertwined history.
While the Torah and Talmud have stories of Israelites who became
assimilated and then came back to their roots, I want to look at
what I would loosely call the upside of assimilation.
Should
the Conservative Movement Assimilate Secular Values?
By
Yoni Yares
Rutgers University
The values of the places where Jews have lived have found their
way into the Conservative Movement and into other parts of
Judaism. I can think of two major examples: women?s rights and
the rights of homosexuals.
Campus Updates
from Rutgers and UCLA
By Avi Smolen and Julie Pinchak
KOACH Interns
KOACH
Poker Night at Rutgers and KOACH Big Sibs mentorship
program at UCLA...
Joke
Be careful what you wish for - marrying a nice
Jewish girl...
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Heshvan 5767 - 10/22-23/06
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"Misconceptions About Judaism"
Meet
the Fockers, Larry David and the Jewish Archetype
By Josh Tobias
Brown University
KOC
Assistant Editor
Whether
it’s Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand waxing poetically about
their son’s circumcision in Meet the Fockers, or Larry
David playing himself as a self-deprecating, neurotic Hollywood
Jew in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jews continue to be depicted
in mass media as fundamentally different from mainstream
American society.
The
Sweetest New Year Away From Home
By Penina Goldstein
Tufts University
Judaism is
truly a mystery to people here. Therefore, you can imagine my
surprise and delight when I heard about a community of Ghanaian
Jews nestled in a small rural community in the Western Region of
the country.
And the
Top 5 Misconceptions are…
By Michelle Sikorski
University of Colorado
Yom Kippur
passed and nobody knew why I wasn’t at school that day, except
for my teachers whom I told in advance. For some of you reading
this article it may seem unbelievable, but I know there are
others out there like me. It’s hard when you don’t have a sense
of the Jewish community, and it always seems like you’re
defending your beliefs.
Misconceptions Within Judaism
By Becky Adelberg
KOACH Fieldworker
We even
have aromatherapy in our tradition, dating back to the Temple
with the ketoret (incense). Jewish tradition teaches us
that there is holiness in certain smells.
Words of Torah
By Rabbi Barry Dov Katz
Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale
Seeing
Her: In a sense, Hagar represents all of the people who we
choose not to see. Think of the people with whom you interact,
but really don?t know. The man who sells you your coffee in the
morning, the attendant who sweeps the hallway, the worker who
scans your visa card at the supermarket.
Re-JEW-venating
University of Texas KOACH
By Maury Jacobs
KOACH
Intern -- UT, Austin
This year
we have an exciting new program to help repair our broken Jewish
connections. This year, through KOACH activities, we will be
changing the Hillel Conservative minyan into a community
through social and educational programming.
Joke
Appearances can be deceiving!
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tishrei 5767 9/23/06
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"The Future of the
Conservative Movement"
Where
do we go from here?
By Alyssa Appelman, University of Missouri – Columbia
KOC Editor
We are part of a movement that constantly struggles to maintain a unified
identify, while at the same time trying to appeal to as large a constituency as
possible. To do so, it seems that we often forgo organized structure in order to
embrace organized debate.
Tradition and Change
By Avi Eisen
Montclair State University
We are not like Orthodoxy trying to conserve the past while society is
changing, and we are not like Reform discarding tradition in favor of
assimilation and acceptance in society. We are a Halakhic movement, and
Halakhah is the basis of all our decisions.
Identity Crisis
By Elise Loterman
York University
Is Conservative Judaism egalitarian? Is it non-egalitarian? Are musical
instruments allowed to be used on Shabbat or are they forbidden? What are the tzniut (modesty) rules in our movement? What is considered
kosher
according to Conservative rabbis?
From the Director
By Richard Moline
Rosh HaShanah is upon us and so are the
Aseret Y’mei T’shuvah –
that intermediate time after Rosh HaShanah through Yom Kippur
known as the Ten Days of Repentance. It’s not just time to buy that one book.
It’s time to call that friend and that elderly relative. It’s time to look in
the mirror and record your own deeds. And once that’s done, it’s time to dream.
Book Review:
A History of God, by Karen Armstrong
Reviewed by Josh Tobias
Brown University
KOC Assistant Editor
In a world where science has disproved a "Creator God", and visions and
raptures are seen as mere neurological quirks, does God really have a place?
"God seemed an aberration," Armstrong writes, "something that the human race has
outgrown."
Joke
Between God and man…it’s all relative.
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Elul 5766 8/24/06-8/25/06
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"Zionism and Judaism"
Ranking
Israel
By Alyssa Appelman, University of Missouri – Columbia
KOC Editor
I always found it fascinating that there was so much diversity within
a small group of seemingly similar Conservative Jewish teenagers.
We could never agree on what being Jewish ultimately meant for us.
Ki
Mitzion Teytzeh Torah
By Shira Zeliger, York University
Physically being in Jerusalem is reason enough to inspire one to
study Torah. The spiritual power of the city affects me each day
as I walk to and from the Yeshiva and inspires me to study Torah.
Naming
Home
By Alana Sobelman
Upon meeting other Americans in Be’er Sheva, a city that has been
my home for almost a month now, I am guaranteed to be asked one
of two questions and often both: Did I make aliyah? And, where do
I go to shul?
How
to be a Zionist in Three Easy Steps...
By Rabbi Elyse Winick
KOACH Assistant Director
Each time I staff a Taglit-birthright israel group, it's as if I'm
experiencing Israel for the first time. Each group helps me see
Israel in a new and different way; each group teaches me something
new about Jewish living and Jewish meaning.
KOACH
Intern: University of Delaware
Intern Rachel Marcus updates us on Jewish life between Pennsylvania
and Maryland.
Bashanah Haba’ah (In the
Year Ahead)
If you are interested in writing an article or a book review for
any of our issues, please feel free to contact Alyssa Appelman
(KOCEditor@koach.org)
or Josh Tobias (KOCAsstEditor@koach.org).
Joke
It's all in how you say it...
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Av 5766 7/26/06
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"The Holocaust: 21st Century Views"
"For
the dead and the living"
By Alyssa Appelman
KOACH-on-Campus Editor
University of Missouri
We may find ourselves happy and proud to be Jewish in America,
but the one thing we must take from the past is a desire to bear
witness for the living who are facing their own injustice around
the world...
Finding
America in the Czech Republic
By Gail C. Schnitzer
University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign
Though this camp would have been more bearable than most to
endure, there is hardly a foot of ground that does not have some
final remnants of the fallen buried beneath it. I can hardly
think of a more fitting way to spend my Independence Day...
Israel
and the Holocaust
By Rabbi Ed Romm Director
Center on Campus Program in Israel
Not too long ago Iran held an international conference whose
purpose was denial of the Holocaust and Israel's right to exist.
It is more than coincidental that denying the Holocaust and
Israel's right to exist come as a matched set...
Reader
Feedback
Thank you to everyone who sent in comments regarding the Tammuz
"Homosexuality and Judaism" issue.
Here
are just some of the responses we have received.
Bashanah
Haba?ah (Next Year)
If you are interested in writing an article or a book review for
any of our issues, please feel free to contact Alyssa Appelman
(KOCEditor@koach.org)
or Josh Tobias
(KOCAsstEditor@koach.org).
Joke
Sometimes you just can't win...
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tammuz 5766 6/26/06 - 6/27/06
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"Judaism and Homosexuality"
It's
Time to Talk
By Alyssa Appelman
KOACH-on-Campus
Assistant Editor
But through the day school, camps, youth groups, conferences,
and discussions, I find that homosexuality is often ignored.
Unconditionally
Sacred Love
By J. D'ror Chankin-Gould,
Pitzer
College
I
am an openly gay Conservative Jewish man. As a boy I wondered
whether God could still love me even though my heart loved men.
The
Homosexual Intersection: God and Modern Science
By Avi Eisen, Montclair
State University
In Rabbi Michael Gold's book Does God Belong in the Bedroom?
Rabbi Gold lists three views of how life is viewed, and then
relates them to sexual desire...
Judaism
and Homosexuality
By Mark Greeenberg, KOACH
Fieldworker
Judaism and homosexuality are two terms that for many people
create more controversy and headache than the BALCO steroid
scandal and Major League Baseball.
Gazpacho
Helping out at home this summer? In an apartment with friends?
If you're a counselor at camp, this is even a good choice for
mitbakhon or a cooking project! Enjoy and stay cool...
Joke: The
Queen's English
Mr. Fink gets lost in translation.
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Sivan 5766 5/28/06
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"Relationships with God"
Who, What, When, Where, How is God?
By Maya Berezovsky, KOACH-on-Campus Editor
What does God look like? Does God have a brain? What material is God made of?
Should I feel sacrilegious asking these questions?
The
Head, the Heart and the Hand Jew
By Avi Eisen, Montclair State University
The hand Jew lends help to anyone who may need it, may it be something big
like Israel, Darfur, etc., or just helping various people who pass by every day.
A Relationship with You is Not God's Top Priority
By
Josh Klemons, Engagement
Director, San Diego State University
I am sure that if you scoured the halls of the Hebrew Union College (HUC) or
the University of Judaism (UJ) you could find at least a few of our future
Jewish leaders who, if asked in the strictest of confidence, would admit that
they are not 100 percent comfortable in their faith.
Relating to God: A More Metaphysical Relationship
By Becky Adelberg, KOACH
Midwest Field Worker
So many religions exist around the world, in part, because each of us has a
different way of connecting to God, the Creator, a higher power.
Nanie's Noodle Kugel
This sweet treat will sustain you well if you stay up all night to learn
Torah on Shavuot...but you can enjoy it any time!
Truly Spiritual
By Greg Adelberg, University of Kansas
People take their religions too strongly and begin to believe more in their
religion and its practices themselves than in the basic idea of God.
Joke: Bush and Moses
President George Bush was in the Middle East attending a summit when he
spotted a man with a long beard, a long white robe, and holding a wooden staff
in one hand, and two stone tablets in the other hand.
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Iyar 5766 4/28-29/06
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"Cultural vs. Religious Judaism"
Religion vs. Culture: Is One More Jewish?
By Andrew Shepler, University of Missouri-Columbia
A
religious Jew gets more out of 10 trips to a Synagogue than a
cultural Jew does out of 20. The value is in the service and
learning from it, not in being there for the appearance.
From
Farm to Food: A Breakdown of Jewish Animal Slaughter
By Avi Eisen, Montclair State University
A still-used method of slaughter is called hoisting and
shackling. This method involves shackling the hind legs of the
animal and hoisting them up in the air.
What
Are We?
By Rich Moline, KOACH DIrector
Lox and bagels are no longer considered to be an exclusively
Jewish delicacy. For God's sake - they're even making jalapeno
bagels these days!
What
if We Were All Cultural Jews?
By Maya Berezovsky, University of Minnesota
KOC Editor
Are we choosing the fun parts of the Torah and skipping out on
the daily responsibility of prayer or servitude to God? God
commanded we do some of these things. Why do them if you don?t
believe in or respect the One who told you to do them?
Recipe:
Blintz Cheesecake for Shavuot
Planning your menu for Shavuot? Though we won?t celebrate
receiving the Torah until Sivan, we can already be thinking
about the sweetness which lies ahead. Dairy foods are customary
on Shavuot, since they are traditionally considered to be sweet
and thus reflect the sweetness of God?s words?
KOACH Humor
As Moses was leading the Children of Israel through thru
parted walls of the Red Sea, some of the children complained of
thirst after walking so far.
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Nisan 5766 - 3/30/06
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Theme: "Torah = Truth?"
Leap
of Faith
By Alyssa Appelman, KOC Assistant Editor
Okay, so I know that Dawson?s Creek isn?t everyone?s basis
for religious analysis, but try to follow me here.
Jiminy
Cricket
By Adam Bergman, University of Missouri - Columbia
?With a little help from the Torah and the little guy on your
shoulder - what is his name? Oh yeah, Jiminy Cricket!
The
Truths
By Jennifer Kerner, SUNY New Paltz
As my mother told me, the true facts of a story are only known
to God.
Astronomy
By Emily Green, KOACH West Coast Fieldworker
After exploring the Universe through astronomy I?m pretty sure
that it took a lot longer than 24 hours for the sun, the moon,
and the stars to be formed; but who said that "God-days" were
counted like "human-days?"
Reader Feedback
We're grateful for the feedback we've been receiving on recent
issues of
KOACH-on-Campus -- we do care what you have to say!
Click
here for comments on subjects from Jews to Jesus to the
Arab-Israeli conflict. Keep those responses coming!
Recipe:
Passover Rolls
All that matzah got you down? Try these tasty Passover Rolls.
Fill them with some tuna salad and head to class.
KOACH Humor
Bernie and Yossi were down on their luck and decided to do
some part time external decoration work to earn extra money?
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Adar 5766 - 2/28/06
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Theme: "Jewish Humor"
Newly posted (3/13/06):
KOACH
Recipe: Nanie?s Cinnamon/Pecan K?mish Brot
By Alyssa Appelman
"Nanie," my maternal grandmother (also known as Lucille Krachmalnick),
has been baking for as long as I can remember. She modernized the
recipe of her grandmother, Bessie "Bobba" Bickoff, to bake with
her own eight grandchildren.
Esther Redux
By Avi Eisen, Montclair State University
Megillat Esther: 75,000 people dead for following the orders
of the king. Maybe some had genuine hatred for the Jews, just as
Haman did, but most probably did it to defend the provinces they
believed in so much.
Posted 2/28/06:
What Are
We Laughing At?
By Alyssa Appelman, University of Missouri
KOC Assistant Editor
Printing and reprinting depictions of Muhammad in public newspapers
is clearly different (and potentially more offensive) than making
a comment among friends. ?Not to say that laughing at another group?s
quirks are admirable in private, but just more socially acceptable.
It?s a Wonderful
Country
By Devora Greenberg
Shliha to the Conservative Movement
"Humor is more aggressive in Israel; it?s more black, more intense."
KOACH Humor: God's
Son-in-Law
"Well,"
says Mr. Schwartz, "he's a lovely boy, I only just met him and he
already thinks I'm God."
KOACH Q-and-A
An Interview with Hanna Hindin, St. Kate's
As one of a handful, I can help define what "Jewish" is to my peers.
It?s not just "that group of kids with huge curly hair and blah
blah blah" but something I choose to portray.
The Tu B'Shvat
Seder
By Shira Zeliger, York University
The "Haggadah" which was used for this seder, was created by Shira
Zeliger, KOACH Intern at York University and Yonah Krakowsky,
Yavneh Olami co-director at York and featured contemporary poems,
Talmudic sources, blessings for the seven species of the Land of
Israel and some jokes as well.
Get Monthly Updates - New Articles
Posted Monthly
Editorial calendar / Submit an article
Meet the Staff - Bios & Photos
Index to KOACH Humor - Jewish
Jokes
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Shevat 5766 - 1/30/06
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Theme: "Modern Jewish Conflicts"
Newly posted (2/23):
Is America Co-opting our Cool?
Josh Klemons
San Diego State Hillel
Matisyahu recently played New Year?s Eve in San Diego and
tickets sold out in 35 minutes. I guarantee you that for every Jewish person
that was there, there were three non-Jews in attendance.
KOACH
RECIPE: Taco Salad
You won?t need a kitchen for this great Shabbat salad idea (or
any other time of the week) from KOACH Field Worker Emily
Green.
Posted (1/30):
Stand Up for Sit Downs, the Answer to the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Zach Seeskin, Brandeis University
When we think of the success of the civil rights movement, we
do not think of Brown v. Board of Education or the Civil Rights Act of
1964. We think of boycotts, sit-ins, freedom rides, and the March on Washington.
These grassroots actions won the hearts and minds of the people...
Be Open-Minded Without Dropping Your Ideals
Risa Weinstein
KOACH Rabbinic Intern
It was to my surprise, delight, and comfort, ? when two of
the service leaders from the Orthodox seminary approached me and told me they
supported my decision to pray alone.
KOACH Q & A
An Interview with Jeremy Goldmeier, University of Missouri
How do you go about explaining traditions to classmates? Inaccurately, for the most part.
Jew for Jesus, A Winning Oxymoron
Maya Berezovsky, KOC Editor
University of Minnesota
Most Jewish people I know hate being approached on the street
with, "Have you accepted Jesus?" or any derivation of that. It is like that
person is stomping on what we believe in, spitting like a fire extinguisher at
the very fire that warms our soul.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Humor: Business at the beach?
Get Monthly Updates - New Articles
Posted Monthly
Editorial calendar / Submit an article
Meet the Staff - Bios & Photos
Index to KOACH Humor - Jewish
Jokes
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tevet 5766 / 12/31/05 - 1/1/06
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Theme: "Judaism in Different Contexts"
Jewish Population: Me
When one begins to describe Jewish life in South Dakota in the
20th and 21st centuries, one can begin with its foundation?the
religious school. When I was a student, approximately 35
students met in a one-room schoolhouse in the basement of the
synagogue... (Stephanie King, recent grad, U.S. Air Force
Academy in Colorado)
Eating, Sleeping, and Breathing Judaism
There is just no escaping it wherever I turn. I live in a
totally Jewish world and love every moment of it... (Rabbi Ed
Romm, Director of the Center on Campus Program in Israel)
Helloooo? Got Jews?
If someone had told me, at any point in my life, that one day I
would be desperately Googling, ?Synagogues in Alfalfa,
Oklahoma,? I would never have believed them... (Maya Berezovsky,
U. of Minnesota, KOACH-on-Campus editor)
Worldwide Ethical Wrestling: Fate vs. Free Will
?I shall be which I shall be.? This is a profound statement of
individuality, citing our right to choose our own fate...(Dvar
Torah by Avi Eisen, Montclair State U.)
Getting to Know You: Q&A with KOACH E-zine Editors
New this month: KOACH E-Zine iInterview feature. What are Jewish
college students thinking? Interview with David Schwartz, KOACH
Intern...
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
KOACH Recipe: Chicken Soup for the Sick College Student's Soul
Three weeks of my first month of college were characterized by sneezing,
a runny nose, coughing and a sore throat. (Recipe by Lia Lehrer,
Northwestern University)
Humor: If Computers Were Jewish
1. Instead of getting a "General Protection Fault" error, your PC would get "farklempt"
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Kislev 5766 / December 2, 2005
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Theme: "Afterlife:
Does it Matter in This
Life?"
L'dor Vador: I'm
Gonna Live Forever
I was reading about banned books when one particular article
caught my attention. It was an interview with Lois Lowry, the
author of my favorite childhood book, "The Giver," which was
apparently being banned from a local school district, due to
outcry by parents...(Alyssa Appelman, U. of Missouri,
Columbia KOACH E-Zine Assistant Editor)
Do My Present
Actions Matter Later?
How would our lives would be different if our consciousness
and actions were guided by thoughts of an afterlife? Would we
put extra effort into our interactions with others, our
community, our work, our relationship with God and more? (Becky
Adelberg, KOACH Field Worker)
Oh, Death!
I?m reading a novel by Don DeLillo called White Noise. It
is, according to my teacher, the archetypical post-modern novel.
Throughout the novel there is an undercurrent of fear of
Death... (Andrew Ratner, George Washington University)
Our Bodies on Loan
Our mortality defines us as a species. "Ashes to ashes"
offers a clear message signifying the ever-working dichotomy
that ensures balance and natural order....We should consider the
afterlife even at our age... (Stephen Walter, Cornell College)
Live Life,
But Not Through a Computer Screen
Pharaoh and Yaakov are both intelligent enough to
distinguish being alive and living a life. Being alive means
breathing air and having brain activity. Living is interacting
with the world around you... (Dvar Torah by Avi Eisen, Montclair
State University)
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
KOACH Recipe: Nana's Famous
Latkes
My Nana, my maternal grandmother, was a traditionalist when she cooked.
A good Eastern European immigrant, her borscht (beet soup) was tangy,
her stuffed cabbage intricately layered and moist... (Risa Weinstein,
KOACH Rabbinic Intern)
Humor: Movies We Think We May
Have Seen
YOU'VE GOT MALE: A Chabad rebbetzin is overcome with joy when the doctor tells
her that, after 12 daughters, she finally has a son....
More humor: 'Twas
the Night Before Hanukkah
Yeah, it's a little early for the winter holidays, but this parody
will help get you in the mood...
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH |
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Heshvan 5766 / November 2-3,
2005 |
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Theme:
"Jewish-Christian Relations"
Embracing
Diversity through Self-Awareness
We can refrain from using derogatory terms. We can vote for
affirmative action policies... (Alyssa Appelman, U. of Missouri,
Columbia KOACH E-Zine Assistant Editor)
Biblical
Interfaith Relations
The Bible tells us that the people ultimately known as the
Israelites escaped Egypt and wandered for 40 years in the desert
to reach the land God showed Abraham long ago... (Helene Zucker,
State U. of NY at New Paltz)
Love and
Learn from Thy Neighbor
When the KOACH E-Zine editor, e-mailed me to tell me
that I had the honor of writing this month?s staff piece, I was
excited. I thought that a topic like "Jewish-Christian
Relations" would lead me to a cornucopia of interesting
topics... (Mark Greenberg, KOACH Field Worker Washington,
DC)
Open to
the Possibilities
Whenever I tell people that I have lived in Texas for the
last 20 years, they all assume that I am a conservative,
horseback-riding, cowboy-loving and bible-reading redneck. When
I tell them I?m Jewish, they often respond, "Oh, are you the
only one in Texas?" The answer is always a resounding, "No!"...
(Rachel Kaufman)
The
Beginning of the Torah, the Beginning of Life (Dvar Torah)
I would
like to look at one of my favorite commentators on Parashat
Bereishit: Stephen Schwartz, composer and lyricist of the
musical Children of Eden... (Dvar
Torah by Avi Eisen, Montclair State University)
OTHER
FEATURES
Cook
with KOACH: : Banana Bread
Becky Adelberg gives us her grandmother's special recipe...
Humor: 'Twas
the Night Before Hanukkah
Yeah, it's a little early for the winter holidays, but this
parody will help get you in the mood... |
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tishrei 5766 / October 4-6, 2005
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Theme:
"High
Holidays=High Emotions?"
How to Experience an Emotional Whirlpool
This year, I will participate in my fourth year of High
Holiday services. For 18 years before that... (By KOC Editor Maya Berezovsky, U. of
Minnesota)
Self-Reflection: Looking in the Mirror More than Once a Year
The High Holidays force us to reflect. But how many of us
actually delve into self-reflection more than once a year? (By
Hinda Tz. Eisen, Boston U.)
Seeing the
Bigger Picture
During the month of Tishrei, we experience many different
emotions: happiness from a new year, pleasure from things we
have accomplished, sadness from things that have happened,
anguish from things we have done to others and hope for the
future. (By Avi Eisen, Montclair State)
Balancing
Ritual and Righteousness
The haftarot that we read from the Shabbat following
the 17th of Tammuz through Yom Kippur are fascinating. We begin
with the Telata de-Puranta... (By David Goldberg, York
U.)
Remembrance
of Things Past
It?s funny how different ears can hear the same sounds in
different ways. The midrash says just that about the
sound of the thunder on Mount Sinai... (By Rabbi Elyse Winick,
KOACH Assistant Director)
"Our Father,
Hear Our Prayer"
When distant rains awash my soul / And gunshots ring out
'cross the knoll... (Poetry by Hillary Blank, American U.)
OTHER FEATURES
Campus
Updates
From Brandeis, UCLA, York University (By Zach Seeskin, Jenn
Lorch and Shira Zeliger)
Cook with
KOACH Savory Beef Brisket
A perfect meal for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a midnight snack.
(By Maya Berezovsky)
KOACH HUMOR:
A Rosh HaShanah Blessing
All of our readers are, no doubt, familiar with the Rosh
HaShanah custom of eating an apple dipped in honey...
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH |
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Tammuz 5765 / July 7-8, 2005 |
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Theme: "Jewish Stereotypes"
Through the Looking Glass: How Stereotypes Change When You Look
the Other Way
If you think you don?t form stereotypes, says KOC
Editor Maya Berezovsky (U. of Minnesota), travel to a foreign
country where you are the minority. You discover how varied
people truly are and how your mind copes with shocks to your
system.
Nose
Job: The Fear of Being "Other"
With the Shoah fading deeper and deeper into the
past, this society must still remember to break free of old
images, says Helene Zucker (SUNY, New Paltz).
Closing the Gap
c Field Worker Sherri Vishner questions whether Orthodox
Jews have an exclusive claim on Torah observance.
How Not
to Self Destruct
Fasting on the 17th of Tammuz reminds us of the dangers of
baseless hatred between Jews, says Jacqueline Lehrer (U. of
Ontario).
KOACH
Humor: Matchmaking
Why didn't you tell me the girl is Lord Rothschild's
daughter?
Cool
Quotes
Who said it? Minds are like parachutes - they only function
when open. |
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Nisan 5765 / April 10, 2005
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Theme: "The Art of Making Meaning: My Favorite Jewish Ritual"
Between Light and Darkness
KOC Editor Brielle Goodman has stars in her eyes.
Passing the Flame
Zach Horwitz of Columbia College wants to kindle a flame.
Walking the Walk
A trip around the block has metaphysical significance in Jacqueline Lehrer?s
monthly d?var Torah.
Singing Your Heart Out
The song?s the thing when it comes to prayer for Rabbi Elyse Winick,
KOACH
Assistant Director.
Cool Quotes
Who Said It? "I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going but I'm on the
way." Find out in this month?s Cool Quotes.
This Month?s Joke
Looking for a PR firm to sell Passover?
Next Issue...and Beyond
Check out our editorial calendar, and
volunteer to submit an article
Article Index
We've been net-publishing our monthly e-zine for several years. All past
articles are archived online.
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Adar I 5765 / February 9-10, 2005
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Theme: "Pondering Our Wanderings: Questions Inspired by the
Torah"
Finding Your Way Home
KOC Editor Brielle Goodman recounts her rediscovery of her love of Judaism.
Is The Torah True?
Rabbi Romm answers this and other questions concerning the Torah.
Speaking of Torah?
Noam Sturmwind explores what Judaism says about what we say.
D?var Torah
The Question is More Important than the Answer, says Jacqueline Lehrer.
Cool
Quotes: Who Said It?
"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back."
Campus Update
KOACH is putting Delaware on the Jewish Map.
A Moment, A Lifetime
A birthright israel participant reflects on to her first trip to
Israel.
Comedy Corner: Your fix of Jewish Jokes
"Sing, sing a song." Theme songs for your favorite Biblical heroes...
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Kislev 5765 / Nov. 12, 2004
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Theme: "Judaism and Sexuality"
Sexuality Redux
According to KOACH-on-Campus Editor Brielle Goodman, there's
something to be said for holding back.
"Kiss-Lev," the Month About Love
For right now, says
KOACH Assistant Director Rabbi Elyse Winick, a kiss can be
enough.
A Word of Torah
Jacqueline Lehrer, a student at the University of Toronto, examines the
story of Joseph and Jewish customs of modesty.
Getting to Know You
Joe Roberts, of the University of Maryland, asks: How many times do you have
to have sex with a person to know them? How well do you have to know someone
in order to have sex with them?
Jews and Sex: Things to Consider
Michele Adler, of the University of Albany, asserts that sex is viewed very
positively in Judaism.
Cool
Quotes for Kislev
Making Life Meaningful. Name the author: "You win some, you lose some, and
some get rained out, but you gotta suit up for them all."
Seasonal Humor
Differences between Hanukkah and Christmas finally explained!
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PUBLISHED EVERY ROSH HODESH
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Tishrei 5765 / Sept. 15, 2004
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Theme: "The
Intersections of American and Israeli Politics"
Clutching Onto
Stillness
Daniel Estrin, spending his junior year at Ben Gurion University, is
Clutching onto Stillness.....
A Word of Torah
Jacqueline Lehrer of The University of Ontario explores the lessons of
Parashat Noah.
Listening with an
Educated Ear
KOACH Assistant Editor Maya Berezovsky encourages us to get all the
facts in Listening with an Educating Ear.
Blue and White Meets
Red, White and Blue
Devora Greenberg, shliha to the Conservative Movement, offers
an Israeli eye to the American political scene.
Cool
Quotes
for Heshvan
You Can Change the World
This Month's Joke
Even God's vote gets counted in this month's KOACH humor column.
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Tishrei 5764 / Sept. 25, 2003
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Shanah Tovah
KOACH wishes you a Shanah Tovah! May our dreams become realities
and may we all have a healthy, happy, fulfilling, productive and peaceful
year.
May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our ancestors, to
renew unto us a good, sweet year.
Richard S. Moline, Director
Rabbi Elyse Winick, Assistant Director
Rabbi Edward S. Romm, Center on Campus Director, Jerusalem
Leemor Dotan, Hannah Estrin, Sherri Vishner, Field Workers
Harry Pell, Faculty Coordinator
This Month's Theme:
Hope
More, More, More
KOACH Assistant Director Rabbi Elyse Winick writes about wanting
more.
Just Do It: HOPE
KOC Editor Brielle Goodman inspires us all to go out and create our
hope for the New Year.
Keeping the Faith
University of Maryland, College Park student Joe Roberts makes the
connection between Hope and Faith.
An Ironic National Anthem
Chaya Oliver of the Honors College at Florida Atlantic University
speaks of "HaTikvah" in Israel.
Culture Corner
Writing at Northwestern University, Matan Ring blesses us with an
inspiring poem honoring Tishrei.
Quiz: Who Said It?
"If you won't be better tomorrow than you were today, then what need do
you have for tomorrow?" Find out who said it, and more:
EXPRESS
YOURSELF
Can you really get a fresh start at the new year? Take five minutes
and respond to our survey in this month's "Five Questions/Five
Minutes."
New Faces
Meet our new KOACH-ON-CAMPUS editor, Brielle Goodman, and our new field
worker, Sherri Vishner.
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Nisan 5763 |
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April 3, 2003 |
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Theme: Holocaust
Do you do it enough? And
by "do it" we mean "thank God" especially for
freedom... what were you thinking? (Get your mind out of the gutter...)
KOACH Midwest Fieldworker Leemor Dotan takes us on a guided tour of
gratitude, just in time for Pesah.
Sarah Bier, KOC Assistant
Editor, delves into the thought behind the items brought into space by
Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon (z"l), including items from the Shoah.
Spreading JAM and the
"Never Again" gospel at Yale is Rebekah Emanuel.
"Open"
your mind to a totally new side to Holocaust education: personal creative
writing. Alicia Cohen of Occidental sheds new light on the survivor's
tale.
Connect
to the Shoah through the brilliant writing of survivors. Audrey Shore, KOC
Editor, analyzes Dan Pagis' moving poem, "Written in Pencil in the
Sealed Railway Car.
YOUR OPINIONS
READ: Holocaust
education: guilt-inducing and useless, or under-done and crucial? Hear
what college students across the continent think about the wide world of
Shoah curricula in Nisan's "Five Questions, Five Minutes"
responses.
WRITE:
Have any thoughts about Israel? Yeah, we thought you might... so surf on
over to speak your mind about the homeland in our Iyar Five
Questions / Five Minutes.
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KOACH
on campus
April 2002
Years after the
Holocaust, as conflict rages in the Mideast, has Poland become safer for
Jews than Israel? KOACH Director Richard Moline reacts to
cancellation of the Israel portion of the annual "March of the Living
trip.
Families come in all
shapes and sizes, and so do the rituals which stem from them. This issue
of KOC focuses on "Five Questions, Five Minutes," says KOACH on Campus editor Audrey Shore, a student at Columbia/JTS.
90% of
respondents to our informal poll are either at the same level of
observance or more Jewishly observant than their families. Read their
comments and learn how you can make your feelings known.
Alicia Cohen, a student
at Occidental University, took the birthright israel trip, attended KOACH
Kallah and just wants to keep studying and learning.
ARTICLE INDEX
The opinions expressed herein reflect those of the author
and not necessarily of KOACH or the United Synagogue of Conservative
Judaism. We do welcome your responses on the KOACH discussion
listserve, KOACH@uscj.org. |
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KOACH
on campus
February 2002
Purim Edition
As a little girl, your
KOACH on Campus editor Audrey Shore, a student at Columbia/JTS, dressed up
as Renuzit. Really.
A campus may be the
perfect place for young people to drink. But Rabbi Elyse Winick questions
how seriously you should take the command to get drunk on Purim.
On Purim, our
tradition calls for fasting before feasting. How does this pertain to
your own life? Abe Friedman, a student at Boston University, argues that
it's your way to show solidarity with Israel
From Shushan to Hadera: Our Israeli
brethren need our support. Michael Frazin, a student at the University of
Illinois, says we must educate ourselves, first and foremost, by going to
Israel.
Kid Tested, Adult
Approved! A Jew-by-choice, Chaya Oliver, of Florida Atlantic University,
learns that Purim is more than a Jewish Halloween.
Shhhhh...The masks
and costumes of Purim can disguise AND reveal, according to Washington
University's Adam Rosenthal.
THE LIGHTER SIDE
People of the Cook:
Humorist Joel Chasnoff says Judaism may be the only religion where we eat
the protagonist's body parts.
ARTICLE INDEX
The opinions expressed herein reflect those of the author
and not necessarily of KOACH or the United Synagogue of Conservative
Judaism. We do welcome your responses on the KOACH discussion
listserve, KOACH@uscj.org. |
September 2001 Edition
In the month since
the tragic attacks on our country, Rabbi Elyse Winick discovers the
importance of saying "I'm sorry" to an old friend.
KOACH director
Richard Moline compares the terrible sounds of the August 9 terrorist
attack at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem, and the September 11 attacks
on America...to the comforting sound of the shofar.
These stories were written prior to the terrorist attacks on America:
Word Association: High
Holidays and ritual By Audrey Shore (Columbia/JTS).
Where to spend Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur: your home shul or the campus Hillel? By Sheridan
Gayer (Columbia/JTS).
Are embarrassment and
inadequacy the center of Yom Kippur? By Jonathan Abbett (Brandeis).
Humorist Joel
Chasnoff is having a recurring nightmare about reading prayers in Chinese.
OPEN
FORUM--COMMENTS INVITED
Tight on funds? Observe
Shabbat and save money. By Gil Varod (NYU).
RESPONSE: An
MIT student is horrified to read Gil Varod's article.
Fall 2000 Edition
Brown University student Shoshana Winograd-Hutner
reports on the thrill of studying at the Conservative Yeshiva in Israel
during the summer. (read about it)
Those who are connected are choosing to intensify our
commitment. Those who are outside are being lost. And the chasm which
exists between the two is becoming wider. KOACH director Richard Moline is
seeking ideas on how to reach out to those in our community who are on the
outside. (read about it)
Knowing that God is our companion in change, that God
desires it even more than we. William Friedman, MIT Class of 2002, finds
theological comfort in the Unetaneh Tokef. (read
about it)
The need for a sense of self and the need for
community are two sides of the same coin. Together fulfilled, they offer a
sense of wholeness and completion, says Rabbi Elyse Winick, KOACH's
assistant director. (read about it)
Spring 2000 Edition
Koach Director Rich Moline reports on the success of
the birthright israel program this January. (read
about it)
What's your definition of Jewish identity? Rabbi Elyse
Winick offers a viewpoint, then solicits your comments. (read
about it)
Marc Melzer tries to correct misconceptions about
Jewish life at Princeton. (read about it)
Rachel Fleischer finds a sense of Jewish community at
Penn. (read about it)
Is Zionism still alive? Todd Surden, of MaroM/KOACH
concludes that it is essential for Israel to remain relevant to the modern
Jew. (read about it)
Where are all the Jews you thought you'd find on
campus. As Alan Halachmi discovered at Duke, they're all over. (read
about it)
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